


unconventional warfare (or, Cruel Summer)

by ginexvra



Series: the art of war (and love) [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Claude is in detention writing lines, F/M, Hope that's cool, No Spoilers, but post Goddess Tower, i know that was a shitty time for Byleth but life still went on in little moments, i use my own byleth's name, inspired by the bridge of Cruel Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 19:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20605925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginexvra/pseuds/ginexvra
Summary: "Aw, Teach, you don't mean to tell me you love me.""Yes, I do. Isn't that just the worst thing you've ever heard?"____(Or, love is fragile when it means - oh, I don't know - falling for your student while you're still his teacher and life is going down in flames.)





	unconventional warfare (or, Cruel Summer)

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing was inspired by the line in Cruel Summer that goes, "I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard? / He looks up grinning like a devil" ~
> 
> ~ because it's TOTALLY a thing Claude would do.

“Professor Gloriana, can I speak to you for a moment?” Seteth calls from the door of the Golden Deer classroom, gesturing for her to step out.

Gloriana follows, grateful for the chance to stretch her legs in what has felt like hours. Claude is the last one in detention on this fine Saturday afternoon, and he’s certainly taking his time about it. 

“Say, Teach,” he interrupts as she walks past his desk. “Do you think maybe you could let me go now? It’s nearly sunset and just think - you can talk to Seteth and you don’t have to come back in here when you’re done.” He smiles (all the way to his eyes now, because he really does mean it when he smiles at her) for extra effect.

Gloriana’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “How many lines have you got?”

Claude doesn’t even know why he tries. Ever since the night at the Goddess Tower, she seems to be building up extra immunity to his charms, at least when it comes to schoolwork. 

He checks the last number on his parchment filled with repeated lines: _ I will stop brewing poisons in my room. I will stop brewing poisons in my room. I will stop brewing poisons in my room. I will stop brewing poisons in my room. _

“Four hundred and twenty.”

“We agreed on five hundred.” Gloriana makes to step away, but Claude throws out one long arm and puts on his best pleading doe eyes.

“I’ve learned my lesson, I swear!” That finally gets a rise out of her, but not the kind he was hoping for. She plants her hands on her hips and stares him down like a deer caught in a hunter’s sights.

“No, Claude, I don’t think you have. Brewing a flammable acid in your bedroom, burning a hole through the floor, and nearly spilling it on yourself? I’m all for you ‘expanding your horizons’ with unconventional methods of warfare, but I put my foot down at you being a danger to yourself.”

He tries not to remember Gloriana’s reaction to his..._ accident. _ Felix and Lorenz had burst in from the neighboring rooms, pulling their own moist bedclothes in to smother the flames on the carpet. Professor Manuela had come racing in too, but Gloriana had cut neatly in front of her and pulled his ass off the burning floor. Then she’d grabbed first one hand and then the other, yanking each coat sleeve up to inspect for burns.

Just thinking about the tension in her face and her fingers around his wrist makes him fail spectacularly, and has to duck back down to hide his sudden smirk.

"Aw, Teach, you don't mean to tell me you love me."

"Yes, I do," she deadpans, although the fight goes out of her body completely. "Isn't that just the worst thing you've ever heard?"

Claude's head shoots up, a grin on his face like he's just been crowned Sovereign Duke.

Gloriana blushes and pushes his head down so fast, his nose nearly bangs into the table. "Now shut up, you'll get me fired."

**Author's Note:**

> This is dated wayyyy later in the school year than the last two, but it's been written for a while and it's my favourite (plus Cruel Summer is such a JAM right now) so I don't really want to wait. <3 Currently working on writing the bits in the middle!
> 
> References used: 
> 
> unconventional warfare - the use of underhanded tactics to win battles
> 
> Cruel Summer - off Taylor Swift's Lover. Everything started with this Tweet: https://twitter.com/B_RA_Ve/status/1165643010983415808


End file.
